HI POWER ™ AUTOLOADING PISTOL OWNER’S MANUAL
Important operating instructions for: C O N T E N T S P A G E BROWNING® HI POWER™ AUTOLOADING PISTOL State Warning............................................................................................2 If you have any questions or comments regarding your new firearm, please contact us. General Description and Operation......................................................10 Browning Consumer Information One Browning Place Morgan, UT 84050-9326 Phone: (801) 876-2711 browning.
S TAT E WA R N I N G According to state law, California requires that firearm manufacturers, distributors and retailers include conspicuous, specific warnings with firearms sold in that state. WA R N I N G : Y O U A R E R E S P O N S I B L E FOR FIREARM SAFETY FAILURE TO HEED ANY OF THE FOLLOWING WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. As a gun owner, you accept a set of demanding responsibilities. How seriously you take these responsibilities can be the difference between life and death.
3 WHENEVER YOU HANDLE ANY FIREARM, OR HAND IT TO SOMEONE, ALWAYS OPEN THE ACTION IMMEDIATELY AND VISUALLY CHECK THE FIREARM’S CHAMBER TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE FIREARM IS COMPLETELY UNLOADED. Make certain the firearm does not inadvertently contain any ammunition. Remember, merely removing the magazine does not mean the chamber is unloaded. Always keep the chamber empty and the “safety” in the on safe position unless shooting is imminent. 4 ALWAYS WEAR EAR AND EYE PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING.
10 BE ALERT TO THE SIGNS OF AMMUNITION MALFUNCTION. IF YOU DETECT AN OFF SOUND OR LIGHT RECOIL WHEN A CARTRIDGE IS FIRED, DO NOT LOAD ANOTHER CARTRIDGE INTO THE CHAMBER. If your firearm fails to fire, keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction for a minimum of 30 seconds. Rotate the ejection area of the firearm away from you, carefully open the action and remove the cartridge from the chamber. If the primer is indented, the defective cartridge should be disposed of in a way that cannot cause harm.
20 BE CERTAIN YOUR FIREARM IS UNLOADED BEFORE CLEANING. Because so many firearm accidents occur when a firearm is being cleaned, special and extreme care should be taken to be sure your firearm is unloaded before disassembly, cleaning and reassembly. Keep ammunition away from the cleaning location. Never test the mechanical function of any firearm with live ammunition. 21 TEACH AND SUPERVISE FIREARMS SAFETY TO ALL MEMBERS OF YOUR FAMILY, ESPECIALLY TO CHILDREN AND NON-SHOOTERS.
SERIAL NUMBER FIGURE 2 Disassembly Recess “Safety” Recess The serial number of your firearm is found stamped on the front of the grip frame, directly under the trigger guard. O P E R AT I O N O F T H E “ S A F E T Y ” Ambidextrous “Safety” Lever Slide Stop Magazine Release G E N E R A L D E S C R I P T I O N A N D O P E R AT I O N The Browning Hi Power is a recoil-operated, single-action autoloading pistol.
OFF SAFE POSITION FIGURE 6 FIGURE 7 The hammer in the dropped position. The hammer in the half-cock position. To place the “safety” in the off safe or ready-to-fire position, move the thumb “safety” downward from the recess in the slide (Figure 4, page 11). With a cartridge in the chamber and the magazine inserted, the pistol is now ready for firing with a pull on the trigger.
DO NOT CARRY OR STORE THE PISTOL WITH THE HAMMER IN THE HALF-COCK POSITION. THE HALF-COCK POSITION IS PROVIDED ONLY AS A MEANS OF CATCHING THE HAMMER SHOULD IT SLIP FROM YOUR THUMB WHILE LOWERING THE HAMMER FROM FULL-COCK TO DROPPED POSITION OR WHEN COCKING THE PISTOL. IF THE HAMMER SHOULD SLIP WHILE THE TRIGGER IS DEPRESSED, THE HALF-COCK NOTCH WILL NOT PREVENT THE HAMMER FROM STRIKING THE FIRING PIN. KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER WHEN YOU ARE COCKING THE HAMMER, AND WHEN YOU ARE LOWERING THE HAMMER.
rearward. This position is an additional safety measure and allows easy inspection of the chamber. To close the slide, be certain the “safety” lever is in the off safe position and your fingers are away from the ejection port and trigger. With the muzzle of the pistol pointed in a safe direction, simply depress the slide stop located on the left side of the frame. MAKE SURE YOUR FINGERS ARE SAFELY AWAY FROM THE CHAMBER WHEN THE SLIDE IS RELEASED TO AVOID PINCHING THEM WHEN THE SLIDE CLOSES.
FIGURE 11 FIGURE 12 FIGURE 13 FIGURE 14 Hi Power 13-round magazine. Hi Power 10-round magazine. Press the magazine release and remove the magazine. Load cartridges one at a time into the magazine. The barrel and action of this firearm have been made with substantial safety margins over the pressures developed by established American loads.
3 Insert the cartridges into the magazine by pushing downward on the front of the follower with the base of the cartridge and then pushing the cartridge rearward under the feed lips on the magazine with your thumb (Figure 14, page 19). LOADING THE CHAMBER WITH THE SLIDE CLOSED LOADING YOUR PISTOL WITH THE SLIDE CLOSED IS THE PREFERRED METHOD OF LOADING THE PISTOL. IF THE SLIDE IS OPEN AND A LOADED MAGAZINE IS INSERTED INTO THE PISTOL, A CARTRIDGE COULD INADVERTENTLY BE LOADED INTO THE CHAMBER.
THE PISTOL IS NOW READY TO FIRE. UNLESS SHOOTING IS IMMINENT, IMMEDIATELY RETURN THE “SAFETY” TO THE ON SAFE POSITION. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE WARNINGS COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. 4 If shooting is no longer imminent, point the muzzle in a safe direction and immediately lower the hammer to the dropped position as explained previously. If you are finished shooting, the loaded cartridge should be removed from the chamber as explained under “Unloading” on pages 24-25.
5 If the magazine is empty and you wish to continue shooting, follow the instructions in “Loading” on pages 19-22. If you are finished shooting, follow the instructions in “Unloading” on pages 24-25. When reloading the pistol, it is recommended that you inspect the chamber to be sure it is empty prior to inserting a loaded magazine into the pistol.
nonmetallic object against the sight base when tapping to avoid marring the finish (Figure 17). Tap the sight base in the same direction you want the bullet impact to move; i.e., if you want the point of impact to move to the left, tap the rear sight to the left. If you want to move the point of impact to the right, tap the rear sight to the right. FIGURE 17 sight notch, in a counterclockwise direction. To lower the point of impact, turn the elevation screw in a clockwise direction.
FIGURE 20 Push the slide stop through the frame. FIGURE 21 Remove the slide stop from the frame. 3 Remove the slide stop from the pistol frame by pushing the protrusion on the right side of the pistol (Figure 20). Lift up slightly on the serrated portion of the slide stop to disengage it from the frame and pull it out of the frame (Figure 21). 4 Grasp the slide firmly, pull it rearward slightly and move the “safety” lever down.
PROCEDURES. INCORRECT REASSEMBLY COULD RENDER THE FIREARM INOPERATIVE OR UNSAFE. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS INSTRUCTION CAN RESULT IN DAMAGE TO YOUR FIREARM AND POSSIBLE SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. A S S E M B LY WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN DISASSEMBLING AND CLEANING YOUR PISTOL TO PREVENT THE POSSIBILITY OF SPRINGS, SPRING-TENSIONED PARTS, SOLVENTS OR OTHER AGENTS FROM CONTACTING YOUR EYES, RESULTING IN INJURY. 1 Replace the barrel into the slide.
scrub the chamber and bore until the fouling is removed. To prevent bronze bristles from breaking off, the brush should be pushed completely through the barrel before being withdrawn. To maintain the utmost accuracy of your pistol it is recommended you clean the bore with a copper solvent after shooting jacketed bullets. Modern bullet jackets are made mainly of copper. Residue from copper bullet jackets stick to the barrel and require more frequent cleaning.
MODELS WITH SPECIAL FINISHES SERVICE OR REPAIR As with any firearm, the only way to preserve its pristine condition and collector appeal is to never handle or fire it, which in turn would deprive you of much of the enjoyment that comes with owning a fine Browning firearm. If your firearm should require service or repairs, we suggest you first contact a local recommended Browning Firearms Service Center. To locate a service center visit browning.
NOTES 36
BROWNING.
